Haenam-gun Delivers Premium Minam Lunchboxes to COVID-19 Medical Staff

Haewutang Made with Fresh Seaweed Delivered Nationwide by Food Trucks to Support South Korea

County Governor Myeon-gwan Myung of Haenam and (left) Chairman Byung-deok Kim of the County Council, (left) General Affairs Committee Chairman Hae-geun Seo are presenting the Haenam Minam Lunchbox. (Photo by Haenam County)

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Hyun] Haenam-gun, Jeollanam-do announced on the 29th that it will deliver 2,020 Minam lunchboxes to Ansan-si, Gyeonggi-do, Gangjin Medical Center, and others through the 2nd Haenam Minam Festival.

The lunchboxes contain a message of support and hope from Ttangkkeut Haenam to the healthcare workers protecting the safety of the people from COVID-19. The main dish is Haewutang made with gopchang gim (seaweed) produced only for about a month from the end of October, using freshly harvested seaweed. The lunchboxes are prepared with the warmth of Ttangkkeut.

Haewutang is a traditional dish made by boiling fresh seaweed (haewoo) in soybean paste, a delicacy that can only be tasted during the seaweed harvesting season. Ahead of the Haenam Minam Festival, the county developed a recipe suited to modern tastes, and Haenam abalone haewutang won the Presidential Award at this year’s Korea International Food Competition.

Additionally, representative foods of Haenam such as rice cooked with the premium rice variety “Hanune Banhan,” luxury Haenam cabbage kimchi, mineral-rich sebalnamul (water dropwort), abalone, freshwater eel, sweet potatoes, and Korean beef are all featured.

While sending support to the exhausted quarantine workers due to COVID-19, the “Haenam Minam Lunchbox Food Truck” plans to visit those in need of care directly to provide a hearty meal, as people are unable to visit the festival site due to the pandemic. The Minam lunchboxes will also be delivered to the Gwangsan-gu Disabled Welfare Center in Gwangju, nursing facilities for the elderly in Haenam, and homeless shelters.

County Governor Myeong Hyun-gwan said, “We decided to personally deliver lunchboxes containing healthy Haenam food to support those struggling due to COVID-19 while preserving the meaning of the food festival. Since food businesses, volunteer groups, and culinary researchers who sympathize with this good cause have added their sincerity, I hope the taste and charm of Haenam will nourish both body and mind.”

Meanwhile, Haenam-gun, which held the Haenam Minam Festival for the first time last year attracting about 140,000 visitors, will hold this year’s festival as a smart festival combining online and offline events due to the spread of COVID-19.

Along with the delivery of lunchboxes filled with the sincerity and taste of Haenam, a clean area free from COVID-19, the festival period will feature an online Minam Food Show with chefs Park Chan-il and Park Jun-woo, and a virtual gourmet tour presented by influencers. The festival can be accessed on the “Haenam Minam Festival” website.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.